That is technically true and carrying risks as far as efficiency is concerned. HR teams often request involvement within strategic actions, but fail to deliver.

This hack calls for re-inventing (your) HR "action mode".

We state to bet on collective meta-brains and bodies.

Like many before HR experienced with success.

It is not an act of faith, but new processes and behaviors. Our hack is about how to leverage "Holistic Resources", outside of the HR circles.

It is also a show-case element of Holistic Resources activation.

Because authors are not HR, neither MIX nor CIPD associates

Problem

Lots of advanced thinkers in that field encouraged to move to a business partners mission. Sounds good and committed.

Still no bingo formula. Too wide is often the gap between intentions and action.

Most HR teams are requesting wider involvement and responsibilities within strategic projects or actions, and play central role in change management, but are not able to deliver. Because many are facing a mathematical overload.

Some feel valued as scarce resource.

Don't we look at it with a microscope? Powerful, electronic or even atomic autonomous device, yet not reaching the different spots on time because a single tube design?

Solution

The trend has been for the last 10 years to consider H.R as a specialty.

Hosting a blooming set of specialties.

That is technically true.

Although carrying a huge risk as far as (meta-) organization efficiency.

That is not helped by shortage of talents.

Think the opposite.

Source and credits: SF from Trendekko.ch

H.R adaptability could mean to scan and tap into the largest open spaces of resources.

And consider any of these as a part of a group, a network, a cluster.

A magnetic Holistic field.

Truly consider and recognize any individual on the pay-roll, and even in the free-lance eco-system as a Holistic (Human) Resource component.

So it is not becoming a technical and isolated micro-specialty domain for isolated heroes.

But a wide space of initiative and innovation, powered by the wisdom and behaviour of the largest crowd available in the organic surrounding. 90% Non HR included and welcome as such.

Rethinking the traditional HR paradigm of support function to collective actualisation and new HR modes will lead a growing set of individuals to a higher vibrating step of quantum coherence.

So think the opposite becomes: stop trying to act like (loser) heroes dreaming to square circles.

We state that it is a smarter move to bet on collective meta-brains and bodies.

Like so many before HR have experienced with success.

It is no act of faith, but a set of new processes, and significant changes in other fundamental procedures.

It is also a challenging shift into considering every associate in a company, or any organization way beyond the restricting frame of an org chart and a job description.

And not as an isolated individual but a component of a collective brain and an eco-system.

As of today, litterature as much as blogs are focused in engaging all department, from R&D to Marketing or engineering, in such area of co-operation, while surprisingly carefully avoiding to apply this approach to the core processes of HR population itself.

Finally engage (former) HR specialist to cross-link with (holistic) HR extended and holistic community, following the framework proposed into the cross linked hack :

cf “MODE.CO” HR INNOVATION FRAMEWORK

Echo #1 and live application of the co-designed MODE-CO entangled hack :

Co10 - Co-design: (double-echoing D10-In/In Black Hole: Develop clear definitions and metrics for innovation)

HR innovation must reveal a relevant change in processes.

And in ambition for growing people, not so much as individuals, than as groups of colliding resources in an holistic mapping and grid.

Ambition in the framework should lead to adapted glossary. A real effort of re-inventing part of the HR language for daily business support as well as for new collective experiences around processes design.

HR regeneration. First step is probably to unlearn most of what we know about HR.

Listening to the echoing comments and voices of talents surely helps.

The design for adaptability must include data about the change of scale, or paradigm.

From HR analog communities to reshuffling the traditional equilibrium where HR action flow appeared at minima as bilateral (HR as partner) or a sphere (bumping into its own boundaries). Shaping collective action through a participatory sense of effervescence and anti-territory view of HR global contribution.

Echo #2 (Systemic approach Lever 3) from the former hack "Neutrinos Management "

Call for Collective intelligence as a mainstream at every level .

The "solution" itself is to act and behave as a neutrinos whenever necessary. In order to get access to (Holistic) virtually unlimited resources.

As long as your vision is attractive. So your call to community gets abundant feed-back echoes.

Neutrinos are extra light particles, carrying energy, with extremely weak interaction with matter. Matter represents bureaucracy in this analogy.

We are no strangers to neutrinos as our body produces and is exposed to billions every day.

We are able to light up and vanish the shadow of organization we call bureaucracy.

The solution is to limit bureaucracy to the useful layers.

Audits can identify how many procedures are recognized as useful support for key legal or management needs for instance, while pointing out HR processes of questionable value.

Similar to industrial process control, we can institute bureaucracy control as to vital items, plus other support actions recognized as creating or at least protecting value.

We aim for win-win outcomes, and built-in properties that make yourself, your team or your community, almost invisible to the bureaucratic forces and sensors.

So entrepreneurship is neither slown down nor drained. The organization becomes less sensitive to any "bureaucracy index" and gains adaptability.

Our solution (for your own tactic of adaptability advantage building) is based on combos of ideas produced in former hacks: you can select and combine modes, as shown above.

More echoes and modes are leveraged into the detailed description of first steps and comprehensive materials of each original stories and hacks.

This is practically how and where collective intelligence kicks in and turns co-operative.

This is how we did proceed as a live demo for this challenge from sprint to final shipping.

Hacking HR to become hyper adaptable requires to

a. Move to multi-dimensional strategy (cf "18 Laps" hacks),

b. Innovate on innovating (cf "18 Black Holes"),

c. Reduce bureaucracy drag factor (cf "Neutrinos Management")

d. Tap on Holistic Resources as no one thanks to 2.0 Management shopfloor blooming (cf "Entangled Talents : 21st socail learning"),

e. Co-ordinate new generation HR tactics (cf "Mode-CO HR Innovation Framework" hack).

Practical Impact

Productivity and creativity booster :

Our "Mode.Co produced" hack is about how to leverage "Holistic Resources", outside of the HR centric circles, when moving to global functions was necessary but not proficient for hyper-local relevance.

It is suggesting that each of us creates a reflective interface, allowing bondage of ideas across boundaries, thus becoming the path of choice for multiple actors to transverse and challenge established roles.

Doing so, individual experience is shifting dynamically to a symphonic pace in order to co-creatively form mixed and interactive bridges, underlying cybernetic articulations of different ideas, and paving practical ways to action.

Echo # 3 from Neutrinos Management (P4. Practical impact on Human Resources)

Staff Management : People set up organization and publish org charts through 1.0 push mode.
It takes forever to be disseminated and is poorly updated.

Moving to 2.0 tools fed by real-time collaborative edition is helping for fast and fluid updates.

Choosing to leverage 3.0 moves can suit a leader to set up a virtual community and get support or results for a given business need.

Quicker than bureaucracy capability to capture the move.

It can be edited, or choose to disappear before any reaction.
You are live on a cloud solution, while decidors still call for a request for proposals from vendors.

The impact is squatted autonomy and responsibility.

Same for objectives settings and speed of revision, within administrative performance reviews in big organization.

Same for talent development and retention with field experience or education, as opposed to yearly reviews, rewards and training plans.

Same for absence of development processes in fast growing start-ups where people's expectations are increasing, but (insufficient) bureaucracy is lagging to set-up guidelines.

It will give more flexibility to managers stucked into the yearly cycle process as far as dealing with reports performances set-up and shorten active feed-back loops. Velocity expands autonomy and combination of the two is melting the gravity power of bureaucracy (see chart axis)

Neuronal growth of the communities, nourished by individual and organization inputs, including outside partnerships are the causes of the difficulty for conservative HR to stop the expansion of Neutrinos Management influence.

It rapidly calls for changes of criteria in Job grading and Talent Management grids.With consequences for the staffing process and media.

HR regeneration. 360 tools re-design as already presented into the solution part is a need, whose impact are wider opportunities for talents to shine, for HR staffing manager to break silos and generate (over) mobility.

Budget impact : Holistic Resources tactic does not require any particular additional budget.

Brain power is almost free, sustainable and cheap to connect, therefore meta-brains are exponential capacity.

Challenges

HR pros are aware of collective intelligence mechanisms, as it starts to be described in more mainstream materials, and sometimes encourage business partners to walk that path.

Special care for people, intertwined resources pools with visionary trust, highly nurturing mix for far end-achievements...these are elements or attitudes required for such a shift.

It is not a given into any quite traditional organizations cherishing square org charts.

First Steps

If an organization wanted to test our hack, what would it need to do first?

(Step 0). Shouldn't we always start by applying it with peers and partners, around HR dynamics, and get benefits from the power of co-operative "meta-brains" grids to boost some typical ageing HR or management processes?

Or really give a chance to more recent ones (think around coaching and mentoring, flexible hierarchy, and potentially any bold leads proposed in mini-hacks)

Communities being the manageable solutions of today thanks to very cheap, affordable new tools.

Barriers ?

So, let's look up and wide. Holistic. Reach some bright stars even if they look far away. Distances do not have the same meaning today.

Just get 2 feet on a solid ground and heads up. In the cloud and in the fresh air.

Likely yes. Although we see it more as a question of thinking and daring.

Vision, engagement, time investment and sweat (no blood donation required) to take extra-care of people and connect together the most unexpected combinations, from duets to crowds.

Credit Photo CFJLeconte 2013-Barcelona.

Do not hide in the shade. Do not fear to get wet.

Quoting some famous coach (Lou Holtz according to wisdom crowd precious tool and easy example by the name of Wikipedia....) :

"No one has ever drowned in sweat".

---------------------------------

a. Can be started in 30 days and yield initial results in 90 days? YES.

b. Relies on volunteers rather than conscripts? OF COURSE.

c. Doesn’t require multiple levels of approvals? NONE.

d. Is feasible within existing budget constraints? BEEN THERE. DONE THAT.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Step 1. (Day 1) Choose one or more combos proposed within the "Co-Mode framework".

Then invest one hour with to light a bulb about what you could do with it

Step 2. (Day 2) Tap outside of the box.

H.R adaptability mean to point out, scan and tap into the largest open spaces of resources.

Say: a smart friend, a colleague or (better) a remote community fellow (such as a maverick Mix hacker).

"Mani(H)acks" able to jump start blitz ideas are catalyst talents you want to get traction and attraction from.

Consider any of these as a part of a group, a network, a cluster.

A magnetic Holistic field.

Truly consider and recognize any individual on the pay-roll, and even in the free-lance eco-system as a Holistic (Human) Resource component.

So it is not becoming a technical and isolated micro-specialty domain for isolated heroes, but a wide space of initiative and innovation, powered by the wisdom and behaviour of the largest crowd available in the organic surrounding. Non-HR included and welcome.

cf “MODE.CO” HR INNOVATION FRAMEWORK

Step 3. (Week 1) Re-shape show-case HR processes to get them lean as industry is doing for decades. On paper at that stage to engane some daring business partners of your experience plan.

Follow the form of a real time synaptic and syncretic approach for accelerated (re)action processing shifts.

Undoubtedly rationalized business need are deeply rooted in hybrid realities.

It is one step further to a multi-layered HR anti-cosmic perspective in which individual contributions become embodied in questioning practices and generating contributions emerging in non-HR systems.

Step 4. (Week 2) Rethink the traditional HR paradigm of support function to collective actualisation and new HR modes differential medium in order to lead many previously embodi-less individuals to a winning step of quantum coherence.

Step 5. (Week 3) Engage (former) HR specialist to cross-link with (holistically defined) HR extended community, following the framework proposed into the cross linked hack :

cf “MODE.CO” HR INNOVATION FRAMEWORK

Reminder echo#1 and lead coming from former hack about Innovating Innovation dimension 4

Many leaders dream about aligning their troops...well innovation is likely to be looked at with a different angle and scale.

Company must be a strategic line when seen from distance, but closing up must reveal a more diverse and complex structure, like DNA double helix or strings and cosmic strings.

Entanglement and echo of the Co-MODE framework

Mode.Co organizational resonance for HR adaptability takes a 3-steps progress (Stage 2)

Step 6. (Month 1).(H)ack Knowledge Management.

It is becoming an essential lever to re-invent and get leadership on the overall system and each elements driving the transmission of knowledge and know-how of your organization scope

Credit : Original design by Retro GT.

Ground Zero definitions : To accept, admit, or recognize something, or the truth or existence of something

Reminder echo#4 from former hack about Innovating Innovation dimension 4

Upgrade the innovation skills of every individual.

Echo#6 .It is the opportunity to give an update about this "Learning Organization For Tomorrow or LOFT ecosystem.

Our lean, beyond bureaucracy, social learning and HR adaptability real life experience of Holistic Knowledge and Know-How management 2.0.

For those interested into the starting point details see :

ENTANGLED TALENTS: A 21ST CENTURY SOCIAL LEARNING SYSTEM

http://www.mixprize.org/story/entangled-talents-surprising-behaviors-shop-floor-level

http://www.managementexchange.com/story/entangled-talents-surprising-behaviors-shop-floor-level

"What's new, Coach ?". What is happening to our shopfloor trainers and coaches? Our precious and active foot soldiers of skills transmission.

H.R for Holistic Resources.For sure.

It was adaptability response when entering the field of corporate universities in the year of 2008...eye of the storm of the global financial crisis. Some "Freefall" according to Josef Stiglitz's book issued in 2010 and "Triumph of cupid" as the french edition title.

So the way to face global rapid growth was no longer big money, and we had to say bye-bye to thick walls and cool design theatres for prestigious lecturers and experts.

Adaptabilty can be found into communities building.Easier to say or wrtie than to establish. But clearly a new HR dynamic.

In 5 years, with one core team member addition per year, we could just disappear.

A strikeforce of 2012 (the number , not the year) are doing our job, and pushing our limits, for our every morning best surprise.

No less than 6 different communities keep re-inventing knowledge and know-how transmission beyond boundaries and silos.

Costs are ridiculously small.Savings outrageous.

When budget cuts were at first a threat, these can be seen as an opportunity at some stage.

Some adaptability booster.

We also moved and promoted a LCube (power of 3) certification program to grow shop floor operators who bloomed first as trainers or coach, and got rapidly promoted as proximity managers.

So to be able to deal with their new multi-dimension role (such as process control or flow managers).

Credit Frederic J.Leconte. Pudong China 2013.

Eventually building up new Time Management or workforce management skills and 6 sides paper cubes as symbols

Credit Frederic J.Leconte. Doddaballapur India 2013.

(Also see attached presentation in materials section : LOFT Moving the Lines 2013)

Our next adaptative quantum leap suggestion ?

Promotion of co-operative intelligence.

And 6 to 18 dimensions exploration of co-actions mode into an organization.

Side by side. A multi-framework design already.

Much higher resolution power and scope than a single tube microscope....

Credit NASA. James Webb Telescope sub-set assembly.

Our 2007 blueprint for a Learning Organization turned into a very effective adaptive optics set of side by side communities, sensors and captors gathering light and knowledge of our over 400 laboratories (production units) galaxy.

First sets were focusing on operators know-how, and gestures. From basics to essentials.

New sets currently being attached are pointing and higlighting advanced technicians and engineers.

Next on the drawboards (digital tablets of course...) are experts, R&D, kind of more adaptive optics technos-systems of Knowledge Management. One to manage adaptabilty to tacit matter. Some black matter too.

Difference with this wonderful picture? James Webb 18 mirrors SpaceTelescope project by NASA had its cost rocketing, almost stopping this so useful and fundamental innovative technology, while we cut our cost by the opposite equivalent magnitude.

Small is beautiful.

At least for adaptability!

Co-Operation of small units allows adapatibilty AND powerful scope and resolution.Recipe for bigger achievements.

A live practical example within the scope of training is described within a MIX story.

Known as the LOFT (Learning Organization For Tomorrow), it is a social system where an extra lean core team of 5 is tapping and leveraging over 2,000 resources scattered around the globe, to hack knowledge (cf step 6) and transmit it to 14,000 individuals in hyper-local action mode, from shopfloor operators to R&D experts.

We are experimenting all deviant ideas that we proposed into over 20 stories and hacks, using the MIX as our reflexion think tank.

Challenging all management challenges. And our own organization. And tapping into new resources reservoirs while contributing in return.

The long tail of knowledge is the dimension not to be missed.

Global Expertise is the sum of experts, engineers technicians, manual operators, craftmen, artists and crowd wisdom.

And each point of the tail can be lifted up by one unit. Or more.

D4 dimension is often flat in minds and invisible in strategies.

It is like we would only see strings as lines, it is important to get.more in depth, more intrusive, and unfold the hidden efforts and opportunities.

Step 7. (Month 2) Hack core HR and Management processes such as performance reviews, or objective settings, in order to unleash the access and revision of formalized knowledge

Echo #5 from Neutrinos Management (Practical Impact P4)

Staff Management : Many still publish org charts through 1.0 push mode tools.

Moving to 2.0 tools fed by real-time collaborative edition is helping for fluid updates.

Choosing to leverage 3.0 moves suits a leader to set up a virtual community and get support or results for a given business need. Frequently quicker than the capacity for the bureaucracy to capture the information of the move.

The impact is true squatted autonomy and responsibility,

Same for objectives settings and speed of revision of target,within the administrative performance review, rewards yearly plans in big organization.

Same for talent development with field experience or education within the administrative performance review, rewards and training yearly plans.

Same for absence of performance or development processes in fast growing start-ups where people's needs increase but (insufficient) bureaucracy is also lagging to set-up workflows.

It will give more flexibility to managers stucked into the yearly cycle process as far as dealing with reports performances set-up and shorten active feed-back loops.

Neuronal growth of the communities, nourished by individual and organization inputs, including outside partnerships are the causes of the difficulty for conservative HR efficiency.

It is a call for changes of criteria in Job grading and Talent Management grids.

With immediate consequences for the staffing process and media..

360° does not mean much any longer when measuring the interaction of a group of changing peers.

Step 8. (Week 10) Assign tasks for unveiling tacit or expert knowledge, in order to spread such elements.

With the second level intent to update, curate, re-visit and tune them according to new worlds benchmarks.

Step 9. (Week 11) Re-invent Succession planning. It often sounds quite funeral oriented.

Adaptability requires some healthier picture and motivation factors for anticipation for experience and expertise cycles.

Step 10. (Month 3) Shoot for (H)igher (R)aised Level : Collective Talent Scouting would be useful alternatives among others, to keep re-naming, defining and testing.

Including phase opposition dynamics enablers.

That is to say seek for behaviors and capacity to connect as collective brain cells and inputs source or interference sensor.As opposed to individual skills.

To make a long story short : to A.D.A.P.T power 2.

A(ccept) A-ttract

D(eviant) D-issenders

A(s) A-ttractive

P(riceless) P-owerful

T(ransition) T-alents.

You want to spot ans engage transition talents as new generation Holistic Resources, instead of "administration gatekeepers" technicians.

Why not create some " ADAPT certification " or "Serial Transformers" award to recognize some achievements and practical impact ?

Credits

Holistic Resources.....quite a challenge to list all of them....

11 entangled co-authors or mentors, some not even feeling much about being part of it.

Co-inspirers from 18-Black Holes Team: Audrey Depeige, Cesar Awad, David Nowinsky, Olivier Aine, Cedric Begon

CoHeRenS: Brigitte Dubreucq, "2013: Year of the 'Co'"

MIX (Challenges grids)

NASA (James Webb Telescope picture)

SF from Trendekko.ch (Think The Opposite picture)

Retro GT.(Aknowledgment poster)

Remote Inspiration

1136 LOFT Trainers and Coaches (daily amazing inputs)

2012 actors of our communities

30+ from the MIX not even aware of their indirect contribution

Elias G. Carayannis, David F. J. Campbell: "Mode 3" and "Quadruple Helix": toward a 21st century fractal innovation ecosystem

"Black Swan" and "Anti-Fragil"e author Nicholas Taleb, for challenging complexity reduction and showing the interest of long tails and out of the bell curve zones;

Blue Ocean; Red Ocean author W. Chan Kim et Renée Mauborgne for bold strategies inputs.

Matt Ridley's essay "The Rational Optimist" for stimulating echoes about how much innovation and adaptability are triggered "on the shop floor among apprentices and mechanics" (quote)

Materials